Deuteronomy 19:5

Deuteronomy 19:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
• New International Version (NIV)For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.
• English Standard Version (ESV)as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live,
• New King James Version (NKJV)as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live;

Context of Deuteronomy 19:5

4This is the rule when anyone has killed another person: If it was a mistake, he can run to a safe city. He can do that if he has killed someone that he did not already hate. For example, two men may go to the forest to cut wood. As one man cuts wood with his axe, the metal part of the axe flies off. It hits the other man and it kills him. Then the killer can run to the nearest of the three cities. He will be safe there. 6If there was no safe city near enough, the killer might not escape safely. The dead person's relative might chase him, catch him and kill him. But the killer did not deserve to die. He had made a mistake. He had killed someone that he did not already hate. 7So I command you to choose three cities to be safe cities for yourselves.

Deuteronomy 19:5 word by word

וַאֲשֶׁר֩ יָבֹ֨א אֶת־רֵעֵ֥הוּ בַיַּעַר֮ לַחְטֹ֣ב עֵצִים֒ וְנִדְּחָ֨ה יָד֤וֹ בַגַּרְזֶן֙ לִכְרֹ֣ת הָעֵ֔ץ וְנָשַׁ֤ל הַבַּרְזֶל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ וּמָצָ֥א אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ וָמֵ֑ת ה֗וּא יָנ֛וּס אֶל־אַחַ֥ת הֶעָרִים־הָאֵ֖לֶּה וָחָֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• As when a man goethבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• into the woodיַ֫עַרya‛ar · woodH3293
• with his neighbourרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
• to hewחָטַבchâţab · to chopH2404
• woodעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
• and his handיָדyâd · handH3027
• fetcheth a strokeנָדַחnâdach · to banishH5080
• with the axeגַּרְזֶןgarzen · axeH1631
• to cut downכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
• the treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
• and the headבַּרְזֶלbarzel · ironH1270
• slippethנָשַׁלnâshal · to slipH5394
• from the helveעֵץ‛êts · tree: stakeH6086
• and lightethמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• that he dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• he shall fleeנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
• unto oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• of those citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• and liveחָיַיchâyay · to liveH2425

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 19:5

• 2 Kings 6:5While one of them was cutting down a tree, his iron axe fell into the water. He shouted, ‘Oh! My master! The axe did not belong to me!’
• Numbers 35:25If the man is a killer but not a murderer, the people must keep him safe from the dead person's relative. They must send him back to the safe city that he ran to. He will live there safely until the death of the leader of God's priests.
• Proverbs 27:12A careful person can see danger and he will hide himself. But a silly person never stops, and he walks into trouble.
• Isaiah 32:2Each leader will be like a safe place to hide from strong winds and storms. He will be like streams of water in a desert. And he will be like the shadow of a great rock in a hot, dry land.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 19:5

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-13Verses 1-13 This and the next two chapters contain enactments designed to protect human life, and to impress its sanctity on Israel. In Deuteronomy 19:1-13 the directions respecting the preparation of the roads to the cities of refuge, the provision of additional cities in case of an extension of territory, and the intervention of the elders as representing the congregation, are unique to Deuteronomy and supplementary to the laws on the same subject given…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-13Cities of refuge were placed in different parts of the land (19:2). They were located carefully so people could reach them easily. A person accused of killing someone could run to one of these cities for protection. There, the person would be safe until a fair trial took place (see 4:41; Numbers 35:6–29).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-132. Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land--Goelism, or the duty of the nearest kinsmen to avenge the death of a slaughtered relative, being the customary law of that age (as it still is among the Arabs and other people of the East), Moses incorporated it in an improved form with his legislative code. For the protection of the unintentional homicide, he provided certain cities of refuge--three had been destined for this purpose…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 19:5

• Avenger of Blood
• Ax
• Homicide
• Refuge

In the dictionaries

• Add
• Axe
• City
• Iron
• Landmark
• Remove
• Atonement, Day of
• Ax (axe); Ax-Head
• Courts, Judicial
• Criticism

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings